Ilia Anthology
by ImSoAwesome
Summary: "Who is Illia Amitola? What does she care about? What does she fear? How did she get from where she was as a child, to where she is as of the end of v5? An anthology of shorts based on a prompt from my Discord server with different writers each chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Muddy Waters**

* * *

 **Author:** ImSoAwesome

* * *

The reflection was hazy.

Bathed in the warm fog that covered the bathroom, its wispy white color almost made it feel like a dream - like maybe she was standing on clouds, the stairways to heaven. But when Ilia opened her eyes again, when she returned to a world she so desperately wanted to escape, her toes curled against the cold floor.

Another dream, another fantasy. Another day.

She sat at the edge of the tub, its inviting presence simply begging her to step in.

She stared into herself - the hazy image clearing as the steam abandoned her, leaving her to confront herself yet again. Grey eyes, withered yet aware - like she was looking for something that wasn't there, or saw something that no one else did.

Ilia didn't see anything when she looked in the water. It always came up blank.

She thought that she could figure out. That maybe the answer she was looking for was somewhere inside her and she just hadn't reached it. It was easy to look, but not to find. But maybe she'd fallen out of favor with some great deity, for she was as close to getting that answer as she was in the beginning.

A part of her wondered if running away like Blake would have been right. Maybe she could have found her, helped her - maybe they'd stick together. It'd be hard, but they'd been through worse, hadn't they?

Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought. And yet, she found her teeth grinding together too.

It was better that Blake had left. She was always a bleeding heart for humans - a trait Ilia found herself respecting... but not imitating. Blake's heart was always in the right place, even if her choices weren't the smartest. What, or rather, _who_ she'd run from was a testament to that.

A fleeting smile; one that left her heart squeezing in her chest and even knowing how right she had been didn't make her feel better. How many times had she imagined how good it would feel to reaffirm to Blake about Adam. How satisfying it would be to see Blake admitting to choosing wrong, when there were much better options…

As much as she thought it would feel good, she knew it wouldn't. She knew that truth now, and maybe that was enough.

It had been there, the frustration. The lonely nights circumvented by desire, just her and a traitorous thought. Then the immediate anger and hurt that instead if her, she'd be making love with another. It wasn't easy to move past that, but comparably, it was a pain she could live with.

After all, Blake wasn't her family.

Of course, now this meant Blake would always be a target for the Fang - someone would find her eventually. She just hoped it wasn't Adam.

Or herself.

Ilia let out a light chuckle as she leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around her leg. It was funny how different they were - too different, almost. Blake was a beauty. Ilia was plain. Blake had a blessed body, while Ilia failed to compare. Blake's skin was perfect, hers was blemished and spotty. Blake was strong, stronger than a lot of people she knew. Ilia had never been close to beating her.

Many a time did Ilia compare herself to Blake. And often she felt she came up short. But if Blake running away had taught her anything, it was that she had one thing over her.

Blake was a coward.

Ilia was not.

Violence wouldn't have been her first choice to confront the humans. But now, it was the only option their people had. Humans went on their everyday lives; happy and secure, making light of the troubles for faunuskind under the pretense of unenforced equal rights.

They'd all pay. Tenfold. Every one of them. From the politicians to the businessmen. From the teachers to the bakers. Men and women alike. All of them would know what the faunus could do.

Ilia could only imagine the disapproval of her parents. They'd never agreed with the White Fang, that was part of the reason they'd left Mistral. Many a time had Ilia asked why they never joined, and she could never forget her Dad's answer.

 _If we go through life thinking everything must be eye for eye, then there won't be a future to look forward to._

Ilia couldn't say she agreed.

Maybe if her parents did see it that way, they never would have sought jobs in the SDC. She'd still have them. Her Dad would still be able to kiss her forehead, and her Mom would be cradling her after a bad day of school.

But they hadn't. And now it was just her.

Her parents were gone, her only friend was gone - it was only Ilia and the bath water.

What would happen after all of this? When the smoke and fire finally cleared, a new world would be built for the faunus. New laws, new policies and living conditions. Not some remote continent on the edge of the world with no real way of life.

In that new world, would Ilia find something? Would she have a family of her own? A career?

Or would the water always be murky?

She didn't want it to be. It was hard to see through tainted water; everything was hidden, lost behind a veil of filth. Morals were twisted, beliefs were warped - and right in the middle of that mess was her, somewhere on the thin line, unsure of who she was.

Or who she could be.

The girl settled her hands on the counter, looking at both as water dripped from her hair. Warm, alive... like blood. Blood from a fresh kill, be it for a mission or for food. Soldiers, governors, race supremacists - all those who stood in the way of faunus-kind.

What pity should she feel for them? They did nothing to help the faunus and in fact, only exacerbated the problem. So why should Ilia care about their weeping families? Had a human come to help her when her parents died?

No, it had been a faunus to her rescue. One who showed her the way to make a difference.

Faunus had only each other to rely on. Humans were untrustworthy and selfish – maybe Ilia didn't like Adam, but he'd been right in saying that. The humans hadn't cared in the past, and they certainly didn't now.

But they would.

Ilia faced the water again, and the image was tranquil. The water had stopped moving, and now in that still picture she could see herself. She could still see the girl that cried as she buried her parents by hand. No shovel, no help, no money to buy a gravestone. Just her bare hands scraping through dirt and rock for days just to give her family the burial the SDC would not fund.

If she got her chance, the Schnee's would suffer slowly for that.

She wanted them to know how that feeling. That hopelessness burning in her chest. This time, it would be _their_ families taken away! Parents and children, brothers and sisters… they'd be stripped away from each other for good. And then they'd know how it felt to be alone. To not have the love of their mothers, the strength of their fathers or the support of their siblings.

Ilia wanted to take it all away.

In the past, she'd given them a chance. When she'd tried to remain objective and perhaps come to understand humans.

No. That was over now.

Now, what they'd see would be the worst her. They'd all pay the price. But not with money, not compromise, or surrender or any other way humans thought to escape their sins.

The price was blood. Ilia wanted to be paid in full.

With interest.

* * *

 **Sup everyone and welcome to a three-shot fic based on a prompt from my Discord server. These are a series of one-shots written by different people with their own interpretations of Ilia as a character. I had a lot of fun writing mine and honestly over time, Ilia has become one of my favorite characters in the series.**

 **I never told you guys my favorites, did I?**

 **My top three are in this order: Roman, Jaune and Ilia**

 **And my guilty pleasure? Cinder.**

 **Now you know a little more about me. Anyway, I will be updating this fic every day until its done so if this interests you, read it all and I hope you enjoy it.**

 **ISA**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiding Talent**

* * *

 **Author:** ShadowWhat

* * *

She's always been good at hiding.

When she was a kid, she never lost a game of hide'n'seek. She knew all the best spots, how to hide from other Faunus, but most importantly, she learned how to hide her traits. Being a chameleon variation always had a few benefits, notably her ability to shift colors. She even shifted to look like some of the human children at the schools and parks, often just to see if she could.

As she grew older, it became a necessity to shift. The hateful glares, thinly-veiled threats, and blatant discrimination saw to that. She hid her heritage to avoid being hurt, hid her feelings to keep her true self safe, and even hid her sexuality so that the few friends and family she trusted wouldn't turn on her.

When she came of age, she had tried to hide herself away for so long that it became a habit. She hid from suitors, from friends, her own desires, and her family. She would bury herself in masks and fake personalities, fabricated identities, all so that she could remain hidden.

And then people started to die.

It was isolated, at first. Random bouts of drunken violence, if the media was to be believed. Most people didn't care, since the people that were reported normally didn't have families. They were homeless vagabonds, forgettable faces lost in a sea of reports and documentation. Until, of course, the incident happened. One day her parents left for work, and didn't return. Sure, she knew it wasn't _really_ anyone's fault, but that didn't stop her from grieving. On the inside, at least. Nobody would be able to see how she truly felt.

Because she hid.

She put on her best smile, and it lasted for one day. Only the one. Certainly, she thought, if she smiled and talked to her friends, they would understand. They would see past this facade and help her. That's all she ever really wanted.

To be found.

And yet, no one came for her. None of her old friends, too lost in their own grief, and her newer 'friends' seemed to care more about the daily grind than how these deaths could affect her. She saw the report, given the same way, with the same tone and style, eerily similar to the previous news on the worthless dregs. She hated it. Hated how there was no empathy. Detested the way it was just tacked on to the rest of the news, as if it wasn't important.

But she couldn't escape.

She had only ever hid herself, never exactly running away. She couldn't if she wanted to. The was nowhere to run that would have her parents waiting for her, no safety from the cruelty of the world.

So she hid.

The pain, the hate, the disgust. She hid it all.

Inside a bottle.

She drank and drank, until the world grew quiet. When everything was fuzzy, and surely no one could see, she became sad. She let out her hate, and her pain. Bit no good would come of it. No caring individual to help her along. So she would stay as she was, drunk and sad and confused. Stepping from bar to bar, filled with a sense of wanderlust.

And then she was found.

 **She was found!**

These people cared, the understood, _they helped._ On and on they would go, each and everyone pouring their hearts out to ears rapt with attention. These wonderful people who only wanted a voice and to be heard. They became close, closer than associates, even closer than friends! They became a family. A large one, with hope and determination, willing upon the populace to hear them.

But they spoke to deaf ears.

The many would not listen to the few out of reason, so perhaps it was time for violence. They struck quickly, but loud. They wanted to be known. If the world would not cooperate willingly, then they would be coerced with force!

It hurt her, to hurt others. At first. She became used to it, in a morbid way. Sure, there were times she wished she could stop, to go back to the way things were. But she couldn't run away, she'd never really learned how. It was from others that she hid now, it was from herself. What she had become, and what would become of her. For the first time since she was a child, she didn't want to be found anymore.

Ever deeper, she hid. New drinks, fancily named and beautifully designed. They all tasted the same, to her. Guilt. Suffering. Never again, she told herself, never again will I be free.

She lamented the cruel ways of the world, even as she drew her blade against its throat. She was sorry, but she could never let anyone know that. No, her new family had changed. The once pure calls of pain and hope had been twisted to screams of rage and vengeance. They all knew it, but no one would rise, and it became a parody of the world. This unknown quantity, 'The Many', controlled the individuals.

She hid the new pain, but each tragedy, each death, led her ever closer to her own.

And then she met the girl with a black bow.

And she was found again, in a way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ilia Amitola: Colors Laid Bare**

* * *

 **Author:** Constable Paperbag

* * *

 _The studio audience clapped to the familiar sound of the show's jingle - a simple, upbeat thing that captured the energy and excitement of the upcoming interview. The camera's zoomed in on two smartly dressed people sitting on rich comfy chairs in the centre of the stage._

 _One was a short man with slicked back hair. There was so much hair gel in his hair, you could almost smell it through the cameras. He stared at the camera with an ear-splitting smile as it zoomed in._

 _The other was a teenage girl with tanned skin and a curly ponytail. Her skin had a few patches on it that were darker than the rest of her. The only evidence of her faunus heritage. She too smiled at the camera, although hers was a little smaller. Unlike the man, she appeared to be a little camera shy._

" _Welcome back to Talking with the Terrorists," the man cheered. "The number one talk show in where we get into the minds of Remnants notorious baddies. I'm your host, Salvador Mognotis." The crowd clapped again, though whether that was out of respect of just them doing what the cue card told them to do was up for debate. "Tonight, we have a very special guest with us. Not only is she a reformed White Fang member, but she is on a very important quest to find something she's not allowed to discolouse with us. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for lovely Ilia Amitola!"_

 _The cloud clapped and cheered again, whilst the girl in the chair waved bashfully back, her patches taking on a fair shade of pink. "Thank you, thank you," she laughed. "This is the nicest reception I've gotten from humans since… well, ever!" The crowd laughed alongside her. Already it was shaping up to be a good show._

" _Right, Ilia - may I call you Ilia?" Salvador asked. "Or should I call you Sister Ilia, as I hear that was what you went by back in your White Fang days?"_

" _Ilia's fine. If there are any cute girls watching though…" he grin turned predatory and she looked directly into the cameras. "You ladies can call me whatever you want~"_

 _The crowd erupted into laughter again with even a few wolf whistles going off, and not just from any horny wolf faunus in the crowd. Salvador clapped alongside the audience before quickly getting them to calm down. "Now, Ilia, I think I speak for everyone here when I say it's an honour to have you on this show. And I'm not just saying that because you help our viewership ratings."_

" _Is it because I'm a faunus or because I'm gay?"_

" _Why not both?"_

 _They and the crowd both laughed wholeheartedly._

" _But seriously, let's get to know the real you behind the mask and wanted posters. The entire world is watching, girl. Who is Ilia Amitola?"_

" _Funny, I'm still trying to work that out myself," she smiled. She leaned back into her chair and gave a thoughtful smile. "What can be said about me? I guess I'm just your average faunus girl just trying to make a difference in the world. Equality isn't gonna achieve itself, you know?"_

" _Humble and an activist? Let's give another applause for Ilia over here, folks." The crowd gave an even bigger round of applause which Ilia welcomed with more gracefully this time, although she still seemed a little shy from such praise. "And how long have you been an activist for?"_

" _Almost all my life. Most faunus have it rough out there, and whilst I could blend in easily with humans, I felt it my duty to stand up for my kind." Several audience members cheered their approval at her words._

" _And it's this kind of noble crusade that led you to joining the White Fang, huh?"_

" _I mean, the idea to join up with them was always there," she continued, "but what really pushed me over the edge were a few girls at my old school in Atlas. My God, those bitches. Their faces could be covered in honey and I still wouldn't lick them. They were the worst! They made fun of my parents death when they got killed in a collapsing mine. Like, who does that?"_

 _A lot of the crowd sent their regards by awwing at the girls plight. Some even pulled handkerchiefs and started dabbing their eyes and blowing their noses. Things had turned emotional quickly, but such was the nature of Talking with the Terrorists._

" _Don't worry, folks. I'm fine," Ilia said, putting the audience's worries to rest. "But yeah, after I was done kicking their artificially whitened teeth in, I decided to pack my bags and sign up. So, in a way, I guess this is another problem in the world you can blame on Atlas, am I right?"_

" _Oh, lady, you have no idea," Salvador laughed. "Was born and raised their myself. Even attend a few parties full of blue bloods. The arrogance on some of those people, I tell you."_

" _Haha, I know, right? A lot of those guys are begging for a bomb in the toilet."_

 _The explosive nature of the joke resonated with the audience, as most of them almost fell out of their chairs from laughter. Human and faunus laughed together at the former terrorist's sharp wit._

" _Actually, speaking of bombs, we all know the White Fang and what they get up to. What we don't know, however, is what life is like on the inside. We've had plenty of spokesman for their cause on this show, but never an ex-member." He leaned in closer as he prepared his next question. "So, Ilia, care to spill the beans? What was life like in the White Fang?"_

" _Straight to the point, eh? Okay, I guess I do have a few stories." Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seat. Ilia herself was perked up to answer the question. "I guess you wanna know what the White Fang means to me, right? In one word: family. My brothers and sisters in the White Fang were like the family I never had until my real one died."_

" _What exactly made it such a warm environment?"_

" _Probably the fact that we were all fighting for the same thing. All of us wanted equality as much as the next guy, so we were all surrounded by like minded people. We all supported each other, comforted each other, taught each other. Yeah, life was good. Life was good."_

 _The crowd was awwing again. The audience's emotions could be swayed as easily Cinder Fall's hips._

" _I'll tell you something, Ilia, hearing things like that really does warm my heart," Salvador smiled. "Any stories you can share during your time on the inside?"_

" _Where to start, Salvador darling? I remember this one time I saw Adam Taurus headbutting a wall." She quickly turned to the camera and, by and large, the audience. "For those who don't know, Adam is the leader of the White Fang and also a bull faunus." She turned back to Salvador. "But yeah, I saw him headbutting a wall, and I asked him what he was doing? Headbutting a wall? Why would he do that?"_

" _I like where this is going," Salvador grinned, leaning in eagerly._

" _So, he tells me he's doing this as practice for when he eventually does it to the enemy. I tried telling him that just because he's a bull faunus, it doesn't mean he has to fight like an actual bull." She laughed at the memory. "But get this: he then tells me that his spirit animal is a bull, and so he must channel his inner beast to become one with it." Salvador and the crowd burst out laughing at the sound of that. "That's what I did too. I mean, he's already faunus. How much more animal does the guy want to be?"_

" _Oho, that is fantastic," Salvador laughed, wiping a happy tear away. "I'll give the guy credit, he's committed to being a bull. Because it sounds like he talks a lot of bull-something."_

" _He certainly does," Ilia giggled. "So, I have to leave him after that because I couldn't stop laughing. The next time I hear about him, he's only gone and started fighting using only his head. He and a few others attacked a few Atlas soldiers on patrol, and they told me he did nothing but headbutt them the entire time. Was even mooing like a bull too. The idiot didn't even bring his sword for the attack. I hear they had to tape it to his hand in order to get him to use it again!"_

 _For those watching at home, the footage seemed to shake a little bit. This was because the cameraman had troubling holding the camera steady due to laughing almost as hard as the audience._

" _Oh my, oh my," Salvador wheezed from laughing so hard. "I knew there was a reason I didn't respect the guy, aside from all the bombings and all that stuff. Hearing that story makes me wanna wedgie him even more."_

" _I would've done that myself sooner," Ilia giggled, "but he's got his sword back now. Unfortunately, he is more effective with it. Broodier too."_

" _So I've heard. The guy apparently pulls quite the temper-tantrums." He clapped his hands suddenly. "And speaking of temper-tantrums, let's get into the juicy stuff- the terrorism. Come on, we know you're not the innocent sweet girl we all think you are. I'm sure you've got some kills under your belt. Question is: how many and how'd you do it?"_

" _Aww, I can be sweet and a killer at the same time. Just look at that midget that always hangs around Roman Torchwick." The audience murmured in agreement with Ilia's suggestion. "Anyway, I can't say I've ever actually killed anyone before."_

" _Aww, come on, there must be one. You're part lizard, girl. It's in your nature to be cold-blooded."_

" _I'm serious, I'm trying really hard to remember right now," Ilia laughed. "My job was mostly spying you see, because of the whole skin-changing thing. I've got the perfect camouflage technique. So, my job had me avoid getting into fights. Don't get me wrong, I can fight - it's a must in the Fang - but it was better for everyone if I stuck to the shadows. I did, however, scout out the best locations to bomb, though I was never a part of the squads that attacked them." She suddenly started to blush. "Guess I'm a bit of a lousy terrorist, huh?"_

" _Lousy? Oh my dear, you have it all wrong," Salvador said sincerely. "Without you, those grunts in the Fang would never have been able to attack those locations. Don't you see? You did have a part in those attacks."_

" _Oh, you're just being kind," she said bashfully. "Really, I'm not much. I still can't think of anyone I've killed."_

" _That's because there's too many to count, sweetheart. You're the most ruthless kind of killer: one that doesn't even attended her own crime. You scout out the location, unleash the hounds on it, then sit back and watch its destruction. You're more than a terrorist, Ilia. You're a queen."_

 _Ilia stared at him with her eyes twinkling with happy tears. She started playing with her hair shyly at his words of praise._

 _It was then Salvador's turn to look to the audience/cameras. "Ladies and gentleman, if you've had a loved one die due to terrorism, I think we can all agree that Ilia here played a big role in it. Let's give this little killer the applause she deserves, shall we?"_

 _The crowd responded in kind, hooting and hollering for the blushing girl on stage. The roaring sound of people clapping was louder than any bomb she had heard before. Both were music to her ears._

" _Thank you, thank you," she giggled. "Though I guess I can't take too much credit for it now. I'm no longer White Fang, after all."_

" _Indeed you're not, which bring me to my next question. You say that the Fang was like family to you, yes? So, why leave it? After everything you've said, why leave it behind?"_

" _A number of things, really. First, no disrespect to Adam, but he kinda sucks these days. If you think he whines in warning videos, you should try working with the guy. It's just winge, winge, winge with him. Especially about his ex, Blake." Her eyes lit up devilishly at the sound of that name. "And that's the other reason- Blake~"_

" _Sounds to me like there's a story there."_

" _You have no idea~" she purred. "Blake Belladonna is all kinds gorgeous with an ass that won't quit, unlike her personality. Yeah, she was the first one to leave the White Fang. I was double pissed, because I hated to see her go, but I didn't even get the chance to see her walk away. At first I thought it was a phase, but a year passed and she still didn't turn up. I had to track her down in the end."_

" _Was it a happy reunion?"_

" _Well, I got to have her on top of me at one point, but not in the way I wanted. But yeah, there were a lot of tears, a lot of shouting, a lot of threats to kill your family and return you to your abusive ex. Typical girly things. But we mended bridges after that."_

" _And it was around that time you decided to leave the Fang?"_

" _She asked me to quit so that I could travel with her, so I did." A cheeky laugh escaped her as she recalled the memory. "I'll be honest, I'll go anywhere that ass goes. If you're watching this, Blake, let's just say I'll always be right behind you~"_

 _A few more wolf whistles rang out. Things were getting steamier than a gas leak, which was apparently an effective way to kill someone according to a previous White Fang guest._

" _Now this is what I call good television. Am I right, folks?" The audience cheered in agreement. "And now we finally come back to the present. Tell me, Ilia, what's life like for you now?"_

" _It's been pretty exciting so far. Me and the gang are heading for Atlas now for something I'm not allowed to reveal on camera." She winked as the audience aww'd in disappointment. "Only thing I'm worried about is that guy she has with her. Sun, I think he's called. I've met monkey faunus before, and they have a habit of waving their bananas around when it isn't appropriate. I have a suspicion he's got the hots for her, so I gotta keep my eye on him."_

" _Ohoho, maybe this will finally be your chance to kill someone with your own hands?"_

" _Haha, depends on how close he gets."_

" _Always the charmer, Ilia." With a winning smile, Salvador looked back at the camera. "Okay, folks, we're gonna take a quick break now. Stay tuned when we return to the lovely Ilia Amitola on Talking With the Terrorists. Don't change that channel now. We'll see you in a second."_

 _The camera zoomed out and the show's jingle played once again, with Ilia and Salvador waving to everyone. The sounds of the audience clapping slowly faded as the screen faded to black. It was time for the commercials to start playing, which would mostly serve to build excitement for the people watching at home._

 _And so it was, that the first half of Ilia's episode of Talking With the Terrorists came to a successful end._

[/]

Weiss, Yang and Blake sat in front of the TV looking like their gobs had been smacked. They barely heard the sound of the commercials as they sat spellbound from what they had saw. It was a surprise how Ruby of all people somehow knew the existence of this show, but it was an even bigger surprise to see their new companion Ilia on it.

"What the hell was that?" Yang cried. "You told me she was just going out to the shops, Blake!"

"That's what I thought too!" Blake protested. "That's what she told me, at least. I didn't know about this!"

"In hindsight, you should have thought it strange how she was leaving for groceries wearing a fancy dress and heading towards the airport," Weiss mused.

"That's where the shops are! And who am I to judge what she wears on a Friday night?"

"You gotta keep your terrorist buddies on a leesh, Blakey," Yang said with a wag of her finger.

"Don't blame this on me! I didn't even know this show existed. How was I supposed to know she was gonna appear on it?"

"Didn't she give any hints? She must have said something about it, surely."

"She was a spy back in the day, Yang. It was her job to be secretive about things."

"Sounds like you don't know your friends well enough, Blake."

"Listen here, you-"

Weiss ignored them arguing as she contemplated on what she had just saw. She wouldn't lie, the program had been entertaining so far. It would certainly be easier to get to know Ilia thanks to it. They could skip the introductions and get straight to other matters at hand. But with Ilia's appearance on it came new problems.

"In any case, this is certainly going to draw attention to us," Weiss sighed. "Most of Remnant probably knows of our plans now thanks to her. At least she was kind enough not to give away are names. Well, apart from Blake and Sun."

"Oh God," Blake moaned, putting her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Now everyone knows I used to be White Fang! What was she thinking, saying stuff like that?"

"Well, it is a talk show," Yang shrugged. "People run their mouths on these things without thinking. It's like real life, only with more people listening."

"That makes it even worse!" Blake groaned. "I value secrecy too! Ilia knows this! Why did she have to say all that stuff about me?"

"Maybe she was trying to compliment?" Weiss suggested. "She did talk about how supposedly attractive you are. I'd find that quite flattering if it was me."

"That doesn't- wait… what do you mean, _supposedly?_ " Blake asked suspiciously. A glaring eye looked out at them through her fingers. The atmosphere suddenly got a little tense.

"I think Weiss was just wondering what it is Ilia sees in you," Yang piped up. "Don't take it the wrong way, I'm sure it's great whatever it is."

"Whatever it is? Are you saying I'm not good looking?"

Weiss and Yang both looked at each other awkwardly. With the bow free, Blake's ears were twitching aggressively. She suddenly felt her inner White Fang training rising up within her.

"I mean, statistically, there has to be someone attracted to you," Weiss said in a tone that tried to sound helpful. It only made Blake's temper grow. "It might as well be an old friend, yes?"

"Are you kidding me right now? I'm very attractive! I have plenty of admirers!"

"No offence, Blake," Yang said, "but those admires have been two terrorists and a stowaway. I'd hardly call those guys prime dating material."

"Irrelevant!" Blake cried. What the hell was she hearing right now? "That doesn't make me any less attractive. Look at this! Look at this!" Her hands roamed down her body and she swayed a little for emphasis. "Look at these curves! This face! I'm fine!"

"You are making this a bigger issue than what it needs to be," Weiss politely noted.

"How can you not think I'm attractive?" Blake impolitely questioned. How could anyone not think so? It couldn't have been a faunus thing; she had seen Yang admiring Sun's abs on some occasions. And whilst she wasn't as busty as the blonde, she had her own qualities. She hadn't seen her ass recently, but if Ilia's words were true, it must have been good enough.

"I don't see what the problem is," Yang said. "I mean, do you want us to be attracted to you?"

Blake blinked. "Well, no, but-"

"Cause if you do, you have got to calm down. It's hard to kiss someone when their mouth is too busy moaning about life and stuff."

"I'm not saying I want… ugh, just forget about it." She wasn't going to get anywhere with these idiots. She would just add this to the many struggles she faced in her life. But she would get through it. She always did. And when she did, she'd look better than ever, even more than what she already did.

She planted her absolutely perfect and totally fabulous butt on the couch again and sulked. She could hardly look at her friends now, and it wasn't just because they weren't as attractive as her. She wouldn't forget this. Once the fighting was over, she'd find a way to make them pay. It was only a matter of how.

"Oh look, the show's starting again," Weiss pointed out. "What say we forget about this little squabble and continue watching?"

"I'm down for that," Yang agreed. "I'll be honest, I'm kinda curious as to what she has to say. You sure know how to pick 'em, Blake."

Blake eyed the TV again with interest. It pained her to agree with Yang, but she too wanted to know what her friend was gonna talk about. She hadn't heard of the story about Adam bashing his head against the wall until now. What else did she know?

"Fine," she sighed. Vengeance could wait. Right now, there was quality TV to watch. And Ilia looked genuinely happy to be on it. The show was surprisingly laid back considering the topics they were discussing. There also seemed to be no restrictions for what you wanted to talk about…

Talking With the Terrorists, huh?

She'd have to ask Ilia how she applied.


End file.
